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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · scale · mug · board · field · charge · spring · degree

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. board — to get on
  3. degree — an amount
  4. charge — in control
  5. mug — a cup
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. spring — the season
  8. charge — a price
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. degree — from a university
  15. spring — of water
  16. board — a committee
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. field — a subject
  21. scale — size or range
  22. charge — electricity
  23. spring — a coil
  24. sharp — clever

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com